


in ourselves

by Roflskate



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Does a last minute change of heart make up for sixty years of being an asshole?, Emotional Manipulation, Historical References, M/M, Nightmares, Not realizing what love is until it's too late, Period-Typical Homophobia, Prophetic Visions, WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL, World Domination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8979727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roflskate/pseuds/Roflskate
Summary: "The vision only confirms what he’s always known. He is destined to do great things."
- 
Four times Gellert Grindelwald couldn't predict the future, and one time that he could.





	

**_i._ _one that he tried too hard to make happen_**

 

Gellert Grindelwald’s first vision comes to him at the age of fourteen. Or, perhaps that wasn’t _entirely_ accurate. Since he’d first discovered his “gift” (if you could really call it that), he’d seen insignificant things, like his mother misplacing her wand, or a peasant boy shooting an aristocrat and his wife. But, _this_ vision was the first that made him truly take notice, and think that _maybe_ he might be able to use this peculiarity with his magic to his advantage.

_In one of the old castles in Europe, a man stands above all others, wearing a strange symbol around his neck. Gellert recognizes him immediately as himself. One young man in the crowd, a dark-haired youth, challenges him in vain to a duel, but he is struck down. Another man with piercing blue eyes exchanges a meaningful look with him, and they nod to one another._

_The world is theirs._

_The world is_ his.

The vision only confirms what he’s always known. As he carves the symbol into a nearby wall, he ensures that future generations will know that _this_ was where it all began.

He _is_ destined to do great things.

(But, try as he might, the future that he sees never comes to pass)

 

* * *

 

 

**_ii. one that he wouldn’t allow to happen_ **

 

His most terrifying vision comes to him in his sleep at age sixteen, and he almost mistakes it for a dream.

_He sees an old man with familiar eyes standing at the front of a classroom. In front of him sit students wearing robes that he’s certain he’s seen somewhere, and a toad-faced woman that seems to be trying her best to appear intimidating as she glances down at a piece of parchment._

_“—Professor, it is my understanding that you never completed your formal education—”_

_The old man glances at her with cool indifference and shrugs. “—I never made any secret of my past indiscretions when I was recommended for employment here, nearly eighty years ago, let me remind you. By a number of notable magical historians, I might add, including—” Again, there is something familiar about him… and his lightly accented voice._

_“—Including one that happens to be your great-aunt, Professor. I’m also given to understand that your… methods of instructing students on the History of Magic differ in shocking from your predecessor—”_

_There is a flash of rage in the old man’s eyes, though his voices remains calm. “—Dolores, I would advise that you choose your next words carefully—”_

_The woman pays him no heed. “—And, that is to say nothing of your…_ exceptionally _close relationship with the current Headmaster. I would certainly imagine that sharing a—”_

_But the toad-faced woman stops speaking before she could say anything else. She opens her mouth once, twice, but no words come out. The old man had done_ something _, Gellert was sure of it. But was it a simple wordless Silencing charm, or something else entirely? The old man’s eyes remain fixed on the woman, and there is once again a familiar strength behind them._

_“As I said, Dolores, you should have chosen your words more carefully. You’re here to evaluate my fitness as an instructor, not discuss the intricacies of my relationship with Albus Dumbledore in front of my students. So, I would advise that you remain on topic.”_

_The woman shoots him a glare, but responds in the sweetest tone._

_“Very well, Professor Grindelwald.”_

Gellert sits up with a start, thankful that his bedmate seems to be a heavy sleeper. This was hardly something that he wishes to discuss with Albus Dumbledore.

Visions show you a snapshot in time. Futures that might come to pass, depending on the actions that you took in the present. And there had been _one_ very important thing that had changed recently. It had seemed like logical thing to do, what with the way that Albus had looked at him when he thought Gellert wasn’t looking, and the thrill of so brazenly flaunting Muggle laws. He would also be lying if he didn’t admit that he found this new level of their friendship somewhat _enjoyable_. Even so…

Gellert continues to think on it, staring intently at the sleeping man next to him. That vision implied that he would be content for _eighty years_ not only _teaching_ children, but apparently taking a subservient role to a for a reason that utterly _escaped_ him.

The very thought makes him _sick_.

He would not allow himself to fall to such mediocrity. He would do everything in his power to ensure that he and Albus stayed the course. And if Albus were to object…

…Well. That would be dealt with in due time.

 

* * *

 

 

**_iii. one that he misinterpreted_ **

 

It comes to him as he plots the best course of action to evade the Aurors that pursue him.

(Not even ten years ago, Muggles were slaughtering each other by the millions for the glory of their leaders. He kills a handful of them for the greater good and they call _him_ the monster.)

_There’s a man that he’s never seen before, and by his side is a creature that he’s only seen once before, in another lifetime._

_A flash._

_He’s somewhere else. In the middle of a dingy church, a woman recites a mantra condemning all witches. The children around her stare at rapt attention, and the oldest boy (young man, really) trembles in fear._

_Another flash._

_The woman is dead, and the creature swirls around her._

_Gellert sees himself, in the place of the strange man, smiling in triumph as the creature closes in on him._

_The power is_ his _to carry._

Yes, while some visions are clear scenes of what might be, others require you to try and interpret them. To _improvise_. And while Gellert might not always put much faith into _every_ vision that he sees, _this_ one has the potential to be _useful_.

He finds the man first, and takes his identity. It was an easier feat than he’d expected it to be, but all he needed was a bit of a _nudge_ to offer himself to Gellert’s cause.

It also doesn’t take him long to find the terrified young man in the vision. He first sees him when Percival Graves is called to deal with an Auror who attacked a No-Maj. Talking to the boy, however, is an entirely different matter. MACUSA is very particular about their laws, and any interaction was likely _not_ to go in his favour.

And so Gellert waits until the opportune moment. One day, the young man offers him a pamphlet as he walks by, hands shaking. Gellert stops walking, and offers him a smile.

“You don’t actually believe any of this, do you?”

The boy’s eyes widen. “I… don’t know what you mean, sir?”

A laugh. “I think that you do, Mr…”

The boy stares at him, seemingly at war with himself.

“…I shoudn’t be talking to you.”

“Those are your ‘mother’s words. Not your own.”

Again, he’s silent. But Gellert knows that it will work. That it _must_ work. The boy would lead him to the child that he needed.

Finally, he speaks again.

“…My name is Credence Barebone.”

Gellert smiles, and holds out a hand. “Percival Graves. Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

And the pieces are set.

The boy is a squib. He can _feel_ it, and it disgusts him. But still, he plays the part of a concerned samaritan, and offers the boy _everything_ his heart desires. He listens to his mundane concerns, and takes his declarations of undying loyalty and love, and promises him a place of glory in the world that he will create.

(Sometimes, he thinks of Albus, but for some unknown reason, it feels like an insult to compare the two.)

In the end, he’s wrong about Credence Barebone. His plan falls apart and for a moment he might feel something akin to regret, but he knows that in the grand scheme of things, the boy’s loss was nothing more than a setback.

After all, he’d lost far more important things over the years.

 

* * *

 

 

**_iv. one that should have happened_ **

 

Sometimes, visions repeat themselves, as each action brings one future closer and closer to fruition. For months, as the Muggle war began to near its close, Gellert had started to see the same thing.

_He is standing over Albus Dumbledore, Elder Wand in hand. The battle had no doubt been fierce, but he’d triumphed. Before landing the final curse, he says three words:_

_“It wasn’t you.”_

_No one is left to stand against him. The Muggle leader in Eastern Europe ends his own life, and thousands of his prisoners cheer. Further east, the last of the great Empires crumble. In desperation, the remaining powers try and use a weapon that could kill millions. All for the sake of stopping one man._

_But Gellert is ready for them, and all those involved in the weapon’s creation are made an example of. For the greater good._

_The world would be reshaped, and never again would any of them live in hiding._

Before the duel begins, he thinks of trying one last time to convince Dumbledore to follow him, to remind him of how the Muggles that ruled Europe over the last decade would have gladly murdered all of them for not conforming to their ideals. But, he decides that it would be a waste of his time, and Dumbledore likely saw him as no different than the Muggle madmen that dominated Europe. Any shared future they might have had was long gone, and Albus Dumbledore was nothing more than one final obstacle.

The duel progresses exactly as it was meant to. He stands in the position that he was meant to, ready to do what he must.

Yet, now that the moment is here, he hesitates. It was barely more than a second, but it is just long enough for Dumbledore to gain the upper hand, and take the Elder Wand. For years, with nothing else to do, he would replay the moment over and over in his mind, never fully understanding how it went so wrong.

 

* * *

 

 

**_v. one that was inevitable_ **

 

After half a lifetime of imprisonment, Gellert Grindelwald’s final vision comes to him as a phoenix perches on his windowsill, and a letter written by a man he’d once promised the world to, informs him of Albus Dumbledore’s death.

(Strange. Despite everything, once he’d been imprisoned, he never actually thought he’d outlive him.)

_Gellert is laughing, as an enraged man (could he really be called that now?) glowers at him._

_“—My patience is wearing thin. Tell me where it is, and I’ll let you live for another day. I might even honour you. Where is the wand?”_

_That only makes him laugh even more._

_“I told you. I never had it. A pity that I didn’t, or our situations might’ve been reversed.”_

_“I’ve killed men for less.”_

_“Kill me, then!” Gellert demands, and just for a moment, that fire in his eyes is the same as it was in the days when he’d been a free man. “You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours —”_

_And then, nothing but darkness._

Of course, there was always the possibility that it wouldn’t happen. Far too many of his visions hadn’t come to pass. But, somehow, Gellert doubts it. It was _obvious_ that eventually Voldemort would have come after him. You didn’t have to be a Seer to piece that together. A man who desires power above all else would eventually try and seek the Hallows.

And he would fail. Men like Voldemort always did.

For a moment, he thinks about fighting it, of telling the so-called Dark Lord that Albus took the wand, and it’s probably buried with him. It wasn’t as though he had anything to lose from it. Either he delayed the inevitable for another year or two, or faced it now, and whatever judgement that may or may not exist. It hardly mattered. And, knowing Albus, he probably already had some sort of contingency plan in place.

But… that would mean that Voldemort would desecrate Albus’s tomb. And, for all that had passed between them, it was that unsettled Gellert the most.

There was one reason to lie, and after so many years, he finally understood it. It was the reason why he’d settled for mediocrity in that long-ago squandered future that he now almost longed for. And, it was the same reason he’d hesitated at that crucial moment.

When Voldemort finally comes for him, Gellert Grindelwald gladly plays his role, and dies for love.

**Author's Note:**

> Harry Potter nostalgia strikes again. This time, with the recent confirmation from Rowling that Grindelwald is a Seer, I thought I'd take a stab at writing somehing from his POV. 
> 
> Also, please feel free to imagine Grindelwald as looking like whatever you want him to. Don't feel limited by the movie casting. ;)


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